Srimad Bhagavatam – 2.2.33 | HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj | ISKCON Chennai | May 19, 2026
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
Om Namo Bhagavate Vāsudevāya
nama om vishnu-padaya krishna-preshthaya bhu-tale
srimate bhaktivedanta-svamin iti namine
namas te sarasvate deve gaura-vani-pracharine
nirvishesha-shunyavadi-pashchatya-desha-tarine
jaya sri-krishna-chaitanya
prabhu nityananda
sri-adwaita gadadhara
shrivasadi-gaura-bhakta-vrinda
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Reading from Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 2 Chapter 2 Verse 33.
ŚB 2.2.33
न ह्यतोऽन्य: शिव: पन्था विशत: संसृताविह ।
वासुदेवे भगवति भक्तियोगो यतो भवेत् ॥ ३३ ॥
na hy ato ’nyaḥ śivaḥ panthā
viśataḥ saṁsṛtāv iha
vāsudeve bhagavati
bhakti-yogo yato bhavet
Synonyms
na — never; hi — certainly; ataḥ — beyond this; anyaḥ — any other; śivaḥ — auspicious; panthāḥ — means; viśataḥ — wandering; saṁsṛtau — in the material world; iha — in this life; vāsudeve — unto Lord Vāsudeva, Kṛṣṇa; bhagavati — the Personality of Godhead; bhakti-yogaḥ — direct devotional service; yataḥ — wherein; bhavet — may result in.
Translation
For those who are wandering in the material universe, there is no more auspicious means of deliverance than what is aimed at in the direct devotional service of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Purport
As will be clarified in the next verse, devotional service, or direct bhakti-yoga, is the only absolute and auspicious means of deliverance from the grip of material existence. There are many indirect methods for deliverance from the clutches of material existence, but none of them is as easy and auspicious as bhakti-yoga. The means of jñāna and yoga and other allied disciplines are not independent in delivering a performer. Such activities help one to reach the stage of bhakti-yoga after many, many years. In the Bhagavad-gītā (12.5) it is said that those who are attached to the impersonal feature of the Absolute are liable to many troubles in the pursuit of their desired goal, and the empiricist philosophers, searching after the Absolute Truth, realize the importance of Vāsudeva realization as all in all after many, many births (Bg. 7.19). As far as yoga systems are concerned, it is also said in the Bhagavad-gītā (6.47) that amongst the mystics who pursue the Absolute Truth, the one who is always engaged in the service of the Lord is the greatest of all. And the last instruction in the Bhagavad-gītā (18.66) advises fully surrendering unto the Lord, leaving aside all other engagements or different processes for self-realization and liberation from material bondage. And the purport of all Vedic literatures is to induce one to accept the transcendental loving service of the Lord by all means.
As already explained in the texts of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (First Canto), either direct bhakti-yoga or the means which ultimately culminate in bhakti-yoga, without any tinge of fruitive activity, constitute the highest form of religion. Everything else is simply a waste of time for the performer.
Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī and all other ācāryas, like Jīva Gosvāmī, agree that bhakti-yoga is not only easy, simple, natural and free from trouble, but is the only source of happiness for the human being.
HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj:
So after describing the astanga Yoga process, here Sukadeva Goswami is not even recommending this for Pariksit Maharaj. So, in this verse he says, there is no other auspicious path except what comes from bhakti-yoga to Vasudeva. Of course, we will see throughout the Bhagavatam, we will see descriptions of Yoga like this, we will see descriptions of Karma, Yoga and Varanashrama, but also see descriptions of Jnana Yoga. But, as we see in the Bhagavad Gita, though Bhagavad Gita also mentions these processes, it is clear that Krishna is recommending bhakti-yoga. So, just as Krishna recommends bhakti-yoga to Arjuna, Sukadeva Goswami recommends bhakti-yoga to Pariksit Maharaj. So, therefore we should not be confused by all of these different descriptions of different processes in the Srimad Bhagavatam. As in Bhagavad Gita, though there are descriptions, it is also very clear that bhakti yoga is much superior. So, at the end of this purport, Prabhupada says that Sridhara Swami, Jiva Goswami and other Acharyas, all agree that bhakti-yoga is easy, simple, natural, free from trouble and is a source of happiness.
So, we see that in this chapter, yoga was described, but it is quite difficult. So, not only astanga Yoga is difficult, Jnana Yoga is similarly difficult. And in Bhagavad Gita, chapter 12, Krishna says, to follow the path of impersonal Brahman, gives many sufferings. On the other hand, we see that Ajamila simply chants the name of Narayana once accidentally and he gets all of his karmas destroyed. So, whatever the Jnani and Yogi achieve after thousands of years, a non-devotee chanting the name of Narayana gets in one second. And he doesn’t even have to concentrate his mind. So, definitely bhakti-yoga is easier. And of course, in other ways also, we see that bhakti is easier than all the other processes.
Jnana Yoga requires being fixed in sattva guna. Karma Yoga also means you have to be fixed even if you are not in sattva, you do have to be fixed in your dharma. If you are not in the Varanashrama system, you cannot do karma yoga. And Bhakti-yoga does not require that qualification, you can be in sattva guna, rajo guna or tamo guna, you can be in the Varanashrama system or not in the Varanashrama system, still you can practice. So, in this way, bhakti-yoga is much easier for people in general to practice. And it is simple. Ultimately, as Rupa Goswami describes in Nectar of Devotion, only two rules. Always remember Krishna, never forget him [Laughs]. Or in Lord Caitanya’s instructions, just chant the holy name, that’s it, finished [Laughs].
So, how do you practice Jnana Yoga? You will have to study the Upanishads. And to study Upanishads, then you will have to learn Sanskrit under some teacher. And if you are to do of course this yoga process, then you have to do yama, niyama, asana, pranayama, etc. If you do karma yoga, then you have to learn many things. You have to learn all sorts of rules of cleanliness. You have to know the procedures for cleanliness and rituals. And if you make one mistake, no result. So, Bhagavatam describes that though karma yoga looks like it is very attractive and simple etc., actually it is difficult to perform. It has many rules to follow.
Though we do have rules in bhakti yoga also, they are much much simpler. And here it says that bhakti yoga is natural. Which means that it is natural to the Jiva. So, we always say that the Jiva is eternally the servant of Krishna. And even the Jiva in the material world trying to enjoy in Svarga Loka or in hell, is also the servant of Krishna. So, that’s his svabhava.
So, in the introduction to Bhagavad Gita, Prabhupada explains about dharma. So, he takes the root of that word and says it actually means inherent quality. So, inherent quality of water is that it is liquid, it moves around. So, and of course if it freezes and doesn’t move around, we don’t call it water, we call it ice. So then, what is the inherent quality of the Jiva? So, Prabhupada explains that the inherent quality of the Jiva is to serve the Lord. So that is the very definition of bhakti. At the beginning of Nectar of Devotion, Rupa Goswami defines bhakti as ‘anukulyena krishna anusilanam’. That means cultivating a relationship with Krishna favourably to please Him. So that is what bhakti is [Laughs]. However, due to the contamination of the Jivas in the material world, in practicing bhakti yoga, we have to go through a process called sadhana bhakti. So, this means practicing to serve Krishna. So, why do we have to practice if it is actually the inherent quality of the Jiva? And the answer is that yes, that is the natural quality of the Jiva, but that quality is covered over by the Jiva’s ignorance and his gross and subtle body.
So, the problem is, how to get the gross and subtle bodies to cooperate with the Jiva. So, now they are not cooperating. So then we have to train them, practice to cooperate, so that is sadhana bhakti. So in sadhana, the definition is, engage the senses and the mind in serving Krishna. So, though we are using our body and our mind and senses, actually the ultimate service is the Jiva, engaging in service to Krishna. So, by training the senses and the body and the mind etc., simultaneously we are also training the Jiva to serve Krishna. So, what we are doing is say, awakening the inherent nature of the Jiva. So, that is what sadhana bhakti is. So, it is reviving the natural tendency of the Jiva to serve Krishna.
Here Prabhupada mentions after natural, it is free from trouble. Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita, Jnana is full of trouble, klesadhikara. But, not only in terms of suffering of the body etc., actually the process of bhakti very easily destroys all suffering. It is called klesa-ghni, destroyer of suffering. So this is the quality of bhakti that manifests when we begin bhakti.
So, through the process of bhakti, which is easy to perform, we end up becoming free from all suffering. That of course is the goal of Jnana and yoga. However, the process is difficult and full of trouble. In order to destroy all your troubles and karma etc., you have to stop your senses and your mind. And that is difficult to do. Whereas the process of bhakti is engaging the senses and mind, not stopping them. So in this way, the goal of destroying all your suffering is accomplished very easily through the process of bhakti yoga.
The last item that Prabhupada mentions here is that it’s the source, bhakti yoga is the source of happiness. So, of course, people will say I get happiness from doing karma yoga because I get to Swarga Loka. That happiness is material. And that material happiness has a beginning and an end. So ultimately, it is not real happiness. The second happiness is the happiness from liberation. However, that happiness is actually the absence of suffering. So, if we take happiness and suffering as opposites, if we get rid of the suffering, then we should have happiness, that is the logic. So, in that sense, yes, liberation is happiness, absence of suffering.
However, the Lord himself is said to be ananda or bliss. And realizing the Lord, the Jiva gets bliss. So that is quite different from just realizing Brahman. Why? Because the happiness on realizing the Supreme Lord is that the Jiva attains rasa. And rasa means a relationship with the Lord. If we say Brahman is bliss and the Jiva attains Brahman and he becomes blissful, there is no rasa. Rasa requires two individuals. So, in the theory of rasa, that’s the, first requirement of one factor of five factors is called vibhava. So, vibhava means there is a subject and an object. So we have an experiencer and the object of experience. So, we have Jiva and Krishna. And if we have these, we can establish rasa, if we don’t have them, there is no rasa. So, bhakti yoga, as I said, is cultivating a relationship with Krishna, cultivating rasa. So, in this way, bhakti yoga, becoming perfect in Prema, gives the only eternal happiness for the Jiva. You cannot get that happiness from material happiness or from Brahman. And thus this verse says that this is the only auspicious means, there is no other means.
Hare Krsna!
Q & A:
1.) So, Maharaj, you described that how the Rasas manifest at Prema stage. But we also understand that the main relationship between everyone and the Lord is that of a servant and the master. So, that becomes revealed right in the beginning. Then only we will start performing Sadhana. Would that also be a Rasa and that is the source of happiness right from the Sadhana stage?
So, being the servant of Krishna is intrinsic to the Jiva and is also the source of his happiness. But, if we don’t want to recognize that relationship, then it’s not a source of happiness [Laughs]. Just like a person has a father but he says, “Ah you are not my father”, you get no advantage from the father [Laughs]. So faith is the first step. So, faith means we have faith in scripture. What the scripture says, we are the servants of Krishna. So, we at least accept the idea. So, we accept that idea, we have faith and we actually begin the process of Bhakti that relationship and Krishna are not realized. But, if we don’t even accept that relationship, nothing happens [Laughs]. So accepting the relationship is the beginning of bhakti. So, we engage our senses and our mind in serving the Lord to please Him. And, actually in the definition of Sadhana Bhakti given in Nectar of Devotion, the goal of that Sadhana is to attain Bhava. And that Bhava is called Nitya Siddha [Laughs]. So, it is Siddha, it is natural to the Jiva. But, it is not something which is produced. It is manifested. So, the process of Sadhana Bhakti is the process of manifesting that Bhava, which produces Rasa. But, if we don’t do the Sadhana, we don’t get that relationship. So, first we accept the idea, I am the servant of Krishna, then we do these different processes of Bhakti. And then, the Rasa manifests in the Jiva.
2.) So, Maharaj the purpose of Sadhana is to reach Bhava and where this relationship manifests. So, Maharaj, the higher Rasas are cultivated, whereas this Rasa is realized at Bhava stage. The relationship of Master and Servant is realized at Bhava and the higher Rasas, the four Rasas are cultivated.
Oh, ok. When we say everyone is the eternal servant of Krishna, we are not talking about dasya Rasa. We can think of it in terms of the Jiva is, because he is a Jiva, he is dependent on the Lord. He is Amsa. So, by his nature, he is always an Amsa [Laughs]. So, and if we don’t even accept that idea, of course, we just sit in the material world and try to enjoy. And when we recognize we are dependent on the Lord and we do Bhakti Yoga, that can manifest in different Rasas.
3.) That part is clear Maharaj. Because the word is manifest, the Rasa for each Jiva, is it cultivated or is it predetermined?
Well, it is also Nitya. So, it is not produced in any way. So, one answer to that is that Nitya Siddha means that it is eternal because anything spiritual has no beginning and end. But, if you produce it through Sadhana Bhakti, then it has a beginning. So, to prevent that idea, we say it is not created at all, it is manifested.
But the question is well, where? Where was it before [Not clear]? Was it in the Jiva or somewhere else? So one explanation is that it is Nitya Siddha in the sense that all the bhavas and rasas are in the spiritual world. And of course that bhava is constituted of hladini and samvit shaktis of the lord which are also eternal. So a portion of that hladini and samvit shaktis constituting bhava manifest in the jiva. So, it is eternally with Krishna and then it manifests in the Jiva.
4.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. So, suppose it is already predetermined and it is going to manifest. Suppose our Madhurya Rasa, it is predetermined, so we get an association according to that Maharaj. Suppose, because it is only manifesting, the Bhava, the sthayi Bhava is manifesting, it is not getting produced. So, suppose one person for them already there is a Madhurya Rasa which is subtle for them. So, accordingly they get the association and they develop the Madhurya Rasa Maharaj.
So, our Acharyas view it in a different way. Due to mercy of devotees, we develop our Bhakti. And due to that mercy, then we get inclination to a particular Rasa. And of course, we can choose or not choose, whatever, and then we can develop a particular Rasa. So, depending on our effort and our choice, then we manifest a particular Rasa.
5.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj since you were talking about the Acharyas mercy we get this rasa. So we see the prayers like tulsi arati, we say seva adhikara diye koro nija dasi. Please make me the servant. And even in the guruvastakam the spiritual master is completely relishing the pastimes of radha and madhava. So, in this we identify that all our Gaudiya Vaishnava Acharyas are specifically telling about this servant of servant, not like directly Gopis, but like in the mode of Manjaris. Can we understand in this way Maharaj?
So, in general we can say the emphasis is upon Madhurya Rasa. And whole of Caitanya Caritamrita is basically about Madhurya Rasa. However, within Lord Caitanya’s associates, we do have Vatsalya Rasa, Sakhya Rasa and Dasya Rasa also. So, there is no forbiddance of other Rasa, but it is definitely emphasized.
6.) Hare Krishna Maharaj. Maharaj, in the Sadhaka stage, one might end up having too much expectations with himself, right? So, for example, he might think that why am I not seeing Krishna in every living entity, or why am I not having enough compassion for others? Or maybe sometimes even he ends up speculating a lot, like in a stage where he is not right now, like he starts speculating about his Bhava or something like that. So, to break down things for a Sadhaka, what is the right set of expectation he can have with himself or what is the short term goal for a Sadhaka?
So, in terms of short term goal, we have Anartha Nivritti, Nistha, Ruci, Asakthi, Bhava. So, therefore your immediate goal is to go to the next stage. And that may or may not include selecting a certain Rasa.
7.) Here in Bhagavad Gita, which Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita? Is it Dwaraka Krishna, Mathura Krishna or Vrindavan Krishna?
Krishna speaking in Bhagavad Gita. Well, he was obviously not in Vrindavan. He was on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. So, we can say he is the Dwaraka Krishna.
Devotees: Grantharaj Srimad Bhagavatam ki jai!!! HH Bhanu Swami Maharaj ki jai!!! Srila Prabhupada ki jai!!! Nitai Gaura Premanande Hari Haribol!!!